Forget about having to check ingredient labels to manage your psoriasis. With this novel approach to psoriasis treatment, you'll forget about packaged foods completely.

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Registered dietitian Deirdre Earls, RD, LD, learned that she had psoriasis when she was 10. It wasn’t until the Austin, Texas, resident was in her late thirties, however, that she embarked on the whole foods, plant-based diet that finally put her psoriasis into remission. She lists fruits, vegetables, and whole grains among the choices that have become the foundation of her own psoriasis treatment.

“The skin on the palm of my hands was so tight I literally could not open my hands,” recalls Earls, whose psoriasis left her hospitalized as a child. She admits that, even with her training in nutrition, she had a poor diet compared to her current dietary psoriasis treatment. Diet soda and packaged pastries were her go-to treats. She was facing the prospect of taking even stronger medications to try to control her symptoms, when she decided instead to try a dietary approach to managing inflammation.

“I drastically changed my diet. I took all of the diet Coke, all of the ultra-processed stuff out, and then I replaced it with simple, whole, mostly plant-based foods. Within six months, my skin had cleared,” she notes. She has since written a book based on her plant-based diet, Your Healing Diet: A Quick Guide to Reversing Psoriasis and Chronic Diseases With Healing Foods. Now 49, Earls says that she is 95 percent free of symptoms, although her ankles, where her psoriasis first appeared, remain stubborn holdouts. “I can see them healing slowly over time.”

Going Green: The Basics of a Plant-Based Diet

Plant-based diet foods that help psoriasis include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and the occasional eggs, meat, or fish. You’ll also want to focus on oils containing omega-3 fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory effects on your system and are helpful to managing psoriasis, according to an article in Current Drug Targets, and minimize (or cut out) alcohol.

“Psoriasis is an inflammatory condition, so anything you can do to cut down on inflammation should help,” points out Valori Treloar, MD, a dermatologist with Integrative Dermatology in Newton, Mass., and the author of a review of integrative psoriasis management techniques in Clinical Dermatology as well as a book about eating for skin health, The Clear Skin Diet.

However, Dr. Treloar points out, be aware that while psoriasis of the skin could possibly be managed with diet and lifestyle changes alone, psoriatic arthritis can’t be because it’s so destructive to your joints.

“Patients with psoriatic arthritis should continue to use the extremely powerful and effective medications we have to slow the damage,” says Treloar. Eating a plant-based, whole foods diet could help those medications become more effective and can help health overall, but Treloar strongly emphasizes that people with this psoriatic arthritis must continue to work with their rheumatologist for medical management even if they choose to adjust their diet as well.

Making the Switch to a Plant-Based Diet

The benefits of a plant-based diet go beyond the additional antioxidants that fight inflammation — you’ll also get more fiber to improve digestive health and more probiotics, which also might contribute to overall health, explains Treloar.

There’s still resistance on the part of some people, however. Treloar points out that, while there is no risk to switching to a plant-based diet to try to manage psoriasis, patients often complain that they don’t really like vegetables or that they don’t know how to prepare the suggested foods. Plus, adds Earls, some just don’t give the new diet enough time to work.

When Earls decided to try the diet, she completely overhauled her pantry and shopping list. Other people might want to go more slowly she acknowledges, but says, at least based on her own experience, a slower approach to dietary change could mean that symptoms are slower to ease.

Here are tips for a smoother transition:

Get rid of processed foods and drinks. Toss the sodas (even diet sodas) and cut back on any food that you make or take out of a box to eat. Replace these with water or green tea (for antioxidants) and fresh whole foods.

Increase whole foods. If you want to ease into the diet, start by replacing processed foods with one or two servings of fruits, vegetables, or whole grains. For example, instead of boxed mac-and-cheese, try one of the new quinoa easy-heat salads, says Earls. Think of it as experimenting with new tastes and textures.

Aim for high antioxidant values. Richly colored vegetables and fruits (especially berries) will offer you the most antioxidants and other nutrients. Create a rainbow in your diet throughout the course of your day.

Cut back on meat. Earls didn’t give up on meat completely, but she has cut back drastically.

Try smoothies. Earls, who says she never really cooks, relies on her Vitamix to blend a wide variety of whole foods, including tough items such as broccoli and beets, into meal- replacing smoothies. She also likes to add chocolate beans to the mix for antioxidants and flavor. An easy way to start is to make simple, refreshing smoothies with some plain yogurt, pomegranate juice, and frozen berries.

The Added Benefits to Going Plant-Based

In addition to potentially easing psoriasis symptoms, the plant-based, whole foods diet has some other benefits, says Earls:

No label reading. It’s true that if you’re counting calories and fats, you’ll still have to watch your portions, but eating whole foods means you won’t be hunting through complicated nutrition labels to figure out what’s in your food. Bulk grains, nuts, fresh fruits, and vegetables, and even the occasional piece of meat won’t require looking at labels.

You don’t have to cook. People fear that a whole-foods, plant-based diet requires gourmet cooking experience, but the truth is, you can enjoy raw fruits and vegetables, smoothies, and the easy-to-prepare grains.

You can eat out. Earls points out that more and more restaurants are offering fresh salads, brown rice or wild rice options, and other whole foods items.

You’ll be going gluten-free. Some people with psoriasis swear by cutting out gluten. Switching to grains and cutting out prepared cereals, breads, and packaged pastries will also cut out gluten. “It becomes a simple question,” says Earls. “Is this wheat or not?”

You could save money. If you shop in season, buy in bulk, buy frozen or canned as needed, and watch sale prices, you could find that your grocery bill goes down (as does your pile of package trash!).

Your grocery store visits will be less complicated. The foods you’ll need for your new diet are usually found around the perimeter of the store so you can avoid going up and down endless aisles.

You can cheat. Earls sticks to her diet about 85 to 90 percent of the time. She thoroughly enjoys her “cheats,” such as a recent indulgent meal featuring chorizo and cheese-laden French fries with a friend, and then she gets back to her plant-based diet.

Few things about having psoriasis could be called an adventure, but learning about a new approach to eating could definitely fit that bill and help clear your skin along the way.

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